A new regulation on "novel foods" will come into force on December 1,
the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on its website.
It will supersede a ruling on such products introduced in 1990 and a
regulation on genetically modified foods, which some experts had warned
failed to sufficiently protect the health of consumers.

The new regulation applies to companies and individuals involved in
the production and trade of novel foods.

These are defined as food ingredients, which meet the basic criteria
of food but do not have a significant history of consumption in China.

Novel foods have to undergo a series of strict procedures before the
MOH will allow them onto the market, the regulation said.

The foods fall broadly into four categories: Animals, plants, and
microorganisms that are not often consumed in China; seldom-used food
ingredients aside from animals, plants, and microorganisms; newly discovered
microorganisms applied during food processing; and food ingredients whose
structure has been modified by new techniques, the regulation said.

Given the fact that novel foods are usually just ingredients in
ready-to-consume products, the public is seldom aware of what it is eating,
Zhang Jian, a researcher with national institute of nutrition and food
safety affiliated to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
told China Daily.

For instance, not many people would know that sugar-free chewing gum
gets its sweetness from Isomalt, Zhang said.

Isomalt is a solution used in sugar-free and low-sugar products such
as boiled sweets, chewing gum and chocolates.

"The market for novel foods in China is still largely untapped, but it
will surely grow as wealthy Chinese develop a taste for healthier foods,
such as sugar-free products," Zhang said.

The regulation said the government encouraged the scientific research
and development of novel foods as it wanted to add greater variety to the
market.

Currently, there are some 340 novel foods in the market, but these
might have to be reviewed to comply with the new rules, the ministry said.

To further drive the novel food industry, the regulation does away
with complex approval procedures, while tightening food safety measures.

Health authorities will be required to conduct spot checks on
producers and track the quality and safety of novel products, the ministry
said.

Companies that overstate the medical efficacy of novel foods will be
punished, it said.


[www.chinadaily.com.cn]